Blueprint

- Detailed essays trace the author's thought process behind every design - Social commentary lays bare the challenges of designing in India How does one view the cumulative work of one's life? For Gautam Bhatia, this publication is not merely a record of his personal or professional legacy, but rather it is a profound examination of his life in architecture. According to the author, architecture is, by its very nature, a practice of contradictions. It operates under influences from sociology, design, engineering, landscape, anthropology, urbanism and civic practice in order to impose its will on the nature of space. This publication brings together several of the author's built works, from commercial and residential buildings to large public spaces, from places of leisure to places of worship. Together with detailed essays, drawings and photographs, the author lays out his philosophy of design to illustrate how architecture became not just a conquest of the imagination, but also of reality. To physically will a building onto a site is an act of design, but to set it free onto a course of transformation is an act of architecture - into a realm beyond the present, where the space is not just made, but lives and dies. The author demonstrates how his practice became not just a tool for solving problems, but also a mode of personal expression, making this volume an invaluable resource for students and practitioners of architecture alike.

Gautam Bhatia is a Delhi-based architect, writer and artist. A recipient of several awards for his buildings, he has also published books on architecture and satire. His drawings and sculptures have been displayed in galleries in India and abroad.